Presses are used for a variety of forming and cutting operations. A given press may be operationally engaged with any of a wide variety of tooling components to perform a desired operation. Changing the operation of a press may involve changing out the tooling components operationally engaged therewith.
It is common for a set of tooling elements to be installed in a lower die shoe and for counterpart tooling elements to be installed in an upper die shoe adapted for slidable engagement with the lower die shoe. Changing out of tooling components may require that the entire die shoe in which they are installed be changed out of the press or otherwise removed from operational engagement with the associated press. Removing a die shoe from operational engagement with an associated press can be time consuming, labor intensive, and costly.
It remains desirable to develop a tooling system which permits a first set of tooling components engaged with a first die shoe to be exchanged a second set of tooling components engaged with a second die shoe.